At All Times

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At All Times

We are easily discombobulated.      It’s just upsetting  when things don’t go  the way we expected  or want them to go.      Those are the times  when people tend  to despairingly give up hope,  feel so anxious — and probably  complain a lot.      Everybody goes through hard times — but with different attitudes  and outlooks on life.

For instance,  when David  had been captured  by his enemies  and was in dire danger  of being killed,  he praised God.      In Psalm 34:1-3  he sang,

I will bless the LORD  at all times;
His praise  shall continually  be in my mouth.
My soul  shall make its boast  in the LORD;
The humble  shall hear it  and rejoice.
O magnify the LORD  with me,
And let us exalt  His name  together.

As David’s heart  put its trust  in God,  he acted like a crazy man  before his enemies  and they let him go  in disgust.      With his narrow escape,  David sang God’s praises  even more — just as we should.      For David,  blessing the LORD  “at all times“  included  even when he was  about to be killed.

David isn’t the only one  who gladly praised the LORD  when life  threw him a curve ball.      Mary,  the mother of Jesus,  also rejoiced in God  when facing  the hard challenges  of life.      When Mary became pregnant  through the power  of the Most High,  she was a virgin.      Getting pregnant  before being married  was sure to take on  slanderous remarks  from the whole community.      People would avoid her  and she would be despised.      Facing so much rejection  and gossip  is humiliating — especially for someone like Mary,  who lived  as a faithful child of God.      But,  when Mary visited her cousin,  Elizabeth,  she said in Luke 1:46-48,

My soul  exalts the Lord,
And my spirit  has rejoiced  in God my Savior,
For He has had regard  for the humble state  of His bondslave;
For behold,  from this time on  all generations will count me blessed.

Mary was frowned upon  in the beginning,  but she knew  that God was using her  for a very special purpose,  and that some day  people would consider her blessed,  because she was chosen  to bear the Savior  of the world.

The Christian’s calling for today  is a little different.      When our soul  “exalts the Lord“  instead of glorifying  Santa Claus,  we will most likely  be rejected.      People will mockingly claim  one is a “stick-in-the-mud”  and way too religious.      For them  Christmas is all about  Santa Claus,  buying and giving gifts,  parties,  decorations,  and tons of light displays.      When so much pressure  is applied  for one to be  “politically correct”  by honoring the Santa Claus traditions  at Christmas time,  many Christians feel  they need to  go with the flow.

The worship of Christ our Savior  is put on the back burner  and often totally dismissed.      Many feel  “embarrassed”  to talk about Jesus  at Christmas time.      They cow down  to the mindless traditions  of Santa  and the growing number of myths  surrounding him.

So,  in the midst of this, do we declare with David,  “I will bless the LORD at all times;  His praise shall continually be in my mouth”?      Are we putting our faith and trust  in the power of the Lord,  as Mary did  when she said, “My soul exalts the Lord”?

God more than deserves  our praises  “at all times“.      Acknowledging the truths  and power of God Almighty,  we say,  “Hallelujah!      Lord God Almighty,  thank You  for coming down  in Jesus Christ  to save our fallen race.      May Your praises  always resound  in our hearts  and on our lips.”

Love,
Margaret

 

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A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and God of gods

 

Pray for our country.

 

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

 

The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield  to all  who take refuge  in Him.
Psalm 18:30

 

Sing for joy in the LORD,  O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming  to the upright.
Psalm 33:1

 

How blessed are those  who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.
Psalm 84:4

 

Just as a father has compassion  on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13

 

Oh give thanks to the LORD,  for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:1

 

Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Psalm 105:3

 

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12

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